So the latest Dirt Wheels has another blurb about the rumors of new sport quads from Honda...except this time, they really speculate that BOTH the 650EX and 450EX could be released soon. Interesting...

Also, it was very cool to see the full-page ad from Cannondale with all of their new ATVs. Looks like the pics they used were the same ones floating around the internet...but because the pics are so small, you can't see that they've been edited. Whatever, if they publish those pics in Dirt Wheel, the actual bike MUST look the same.

 

I'm almost sure that dirtwheels know's what Honda will release...If I look back at my old issues, it's startling to see how correct there "guesses" were about the Raptor, and the new Griz.

 

I agree, dirtwheels knows exactly what is going on and have been told not to give out all the info so they can drag this on until the bike or bikes are released. This is good for their mags as people are hanging on every word that they say about the new bikes. Both dirtwheels and 4 wheel atv action have been dropping little hints here and there for the last couple of months, but i think we will see in sept when honda and suzuki have their dealer shows in vegas and both manufactures release their new sport quads.
can,t wait.

 

but i don't want to wait until september. i just hope I remember to come back here when it happens.

Personally, I don't think Suzuki will come out with anything. If they do, I dunno if it'll be a big deal. They haven't had a SPORT quad, not talking Hi Per. since the LT230. I dunno if they can enter the market like that. I would be less surprised if Kawasaki builds a hi per. using the V-Twin prairie engine, but who knows <How much HP does that V-Twin have?>

Anyways, I really think Honda will come out with ONLY 1 Hi-Per Quad. Hopefully not the XR engine, cuz that's just a big bore with nothing special. I have been swayed to think that more CC's does NOT equal better performance. I'd rather have the CRF450R engine which sports 55 hp! That would set the new standard and officially end the 2-stroke era <there i said it, someone had to say it>.

 

Honda expects the 450 in Quad form to put out 45-46 HP---365 LBs. The 650 would be in the 49-51 HP range----379 LBs.

 

mjnova- i am curious as to where you found this information?

 

A number of people in MI, TX, and CA were invited to a discussion group on High performance quads. The group didn't talk about what company or group they were doing it for, but the information and questions they asked made many of the people who attended belive that it was for Honda. They showed pictures with both a 450 and 650, gave weights and HP. If it were for a another company I doubt that they would be able to guess what the weights and horsepower would be, so we took the stab in the dark and decided it would be for Honda. Our vote favored the 450 over the 650, with most people realizing that the 450 would be faster and better handling with the lighter weight and only slight HP difference. Many people like myself have been waiting since 1986 for a high performance-high tech quad. Hopefully the 450 will come to fruitation. I think they had it named TRX450R......

 

MJnova, they were fibbing on the weight numbers.The CR450 weighs 20 pounds less than the XR650 and thats with both of them being Kick start.If Honda made an "XR650 EX" it would be Electric start and reverse like the Raptor.So assuming the numbers were correct on the TRX450R being 365, expect a "XR650EX" to be in the 410-430 Range.The bike is really a wide heavy beast.Cross your fingers and hope people stop being such whiners and want a real High performance quad.

 

Gary, why would Honda lie about the weight numbers? Don't you think they would know what they weighed better than you do. Plus a 650 with reverse and electric start would still be High Performance. Most people these days would rather have electric start over having to kick start. And also most people would rather have a reverse gear over having no reverse at all.

 

I just love how you pull numbers out of thin air. In reality, the CR450 weighs 12 pounds more than the cr250. Not bad at all. The XR650 motor weighs less than both the Raptor and the ds motors. Yes, the XR650 is a big heavy bike, and it hauls *** through the desert and is very stable at speed. Honda won't put out a new quad over 400 pounds. If either of these machines is produced, look for them to be lighter than the 400EX, or in the case of the 650 motor, about the same weight.
By the way, it was nice of you to give us a break. Take another.